A generic flashlight with a battery cartridge is described, for example, in DE 10 2007 032 003.7 [U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,332]. The battery cartridge has a pressure or contact switch, arranged at its end, that is activated by a push button situated on the housing.
Flashlights are moreover known from the prior art that have a slide switch situated on the housing and usually activated by the thumb. Such flashlights with a slide switch are very popular because they are convenient to use.
Slide switches are, however, generally arranged in the front region of the battery housing, where it is relatively complicated and expensive to fit them. It is thus correspondingly costly to replace a faulty slide switch, with the result that the whole flashlight is often replaced, even though in many cases only worn parts need to be replaced. For these reasons, a faulty slide switch is particularly disadvantageous in the case of flashlights with a high-value housing.